GALLERY: O-Week kicks off at UOW

From a sword-swallowing Space Cowboy to a Hawaiian-themed pool party – the University of Wollongong’s O-Week includes plenty of thrills and spills.

Thousands of new and returning students will flock to the university’s main campus this week for the events that kicked off yesterday and will finish up tomorrow night with the ever popular O-Party at the UniBar.

Kayla Berry, of the Centre for Student Engagement, said each day would start with faculty orientation sessions from 9am, before the festival kicked off from midday to 3pm on the Duck Pond Lawn.

‘‘O-Week is about welcoming new students and returning students for the academic year and giving them a taste of student life on campus,’’ she said.

‘‘The University of Wollongong has such a great atmosphere and such a welcoming environment, and this is a way of making students feel comfortable here and getting them involved.’’

There’ll be plenty of free food, music and entertainment and stalls showcasing the university’s clubs and societies, corporate sponsors and student services.

Plus there’s a few specialty events such as the pool party at the recreation centre, which attracted hundreds of students yesterday.